Evaluation of mechanical properties of different asphalt concrete types in relation with mixing and compaction temperatures

Abstract

The Equiviscous (ASTM D2493) procedure for determining mixing and compaction temperatures of asphalt mixtures was built and developed for unmodified bitumen mixtures. The implementation of this procedure often requires heating of modified bitumen to excessive temperatures that can potentially damage asphalt mixtures. To overcome such issues, highway agencies and modifier suppliers generally predict a suitable mixing and compaction temperature based on experience. The objective of this paper is to investigate existing alternative methods which can be suitable for estimating the mixing and compaction temperatures of both warm mix asphalt (WMA) and polymer modified bitumen (PMB) mixtures. For this purpose, several proposed methods have been evaluated named as High Shear Rate method (HSR), Zero Shear Viscosity method (ZSV), and Steady Shear Flow method (SSF). The asphalt mixture mechanical properties such as Marshall Mix design and Indirect Tensile Strength test (ITS) were also measured based on the determined mixing and compaction temperatures through different methods.